Mervin Bagg’s Papillow a beacon of hope and job opportunities

Mervin Bagg’s cup runneth over. He’s a glass half-full kind of guy. A few minutes in his company and you become infected with his effervescent, positive and upbeat demeanour that’s rare among South Africans these days.

Hope, resilience, fun and unwavering faith in the goodness of others – that’s Bagg in a nutshell. And Papillow is his baby. It’s a pillow and cushion manufacturing business based in Primrose, Johannesburg.

While it’s not exactly on the right side of the tracks, to Bagg it’s a melting pot of cosmopolitan South Africa. And he loves having a cup of coffee, standing on the balcony outside his office and taking in the hustle and bustle on any given day.

Reviving Primrose

He bought the property in Primrose because he believed that reinvesting in an area that has become somewhat dodgy can contribute to its revival. Downstairs, in the factory, Amapiano is playing super loud to add to the vibe.

Bagg says: “My dream is to employ 1 000 people.” Right now, there are 60 people on the floor, sewing, stuffing pillows and cutting fabric. Everything is made by hand and each of his staff is multiskilled.

“They can do everything at each point in the production process,” he says. It’s part of his philosophy of being able to go home after a long day’s work, look at what’s produced, and feel proud.

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Establishing Papillow

Bagg is only a numbers person when it comes to his staff and creating employment opportunities. For the rest, he wants to build a successful business and a company that contributes to the growth of the country – and people are at the top of his agenda.

“We live in the most incredible country with all the people, skills and resources we need. This is what we should be building. We stop creating jobs in the countries that we import stuff from.” Bagg started Papillow 15 years ago when he’d had enough of his job in retail marketing and merchandising.

He scraped together as much cash as he could and started manufacturing white-label pillows for another company. When that income stream suddenly dried up, he was left high and dry.

“We started again from zero, making pillows and trying to get retail to buy them. It was a huge, tough time,” he shares. The name of his company was born from this hardship.

Papillon-branded packaging inserts were left over from the white-label contract he had lost – he didn’t have money to package and brand the restart.  

“My dad suggested that we turn the ‘n’ at the end upside down to spell Papillow. It worked, and the ‘n’ at the end was close enough to that so that nobody would notice on the first few runs, so we just did it.” The name has stuck since.

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The chickens

The Primrose premises also has accommodation for many of his staff. Bagg also built a chicken coop on the property.

“When I am looking for some quiet time, or just to take a break, I come here and watch the chickens. They are really curious, interesting and funny,” he says.

They also lay eggs for the staff’s use, and there are also avocados that ripen on the giant tree in the garden.

Papillow has produced more than 1.6 million pillows since inception and about 1 500 pillows and scatter cushions are delivered to clients daily.

“I love the idea that so many people go to bed at night and find comfort in something we have made, their refuge and where they find their rest,” smiles Bagg.

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Looking ahead

“The next step is to start looking for export markets.” It is a complicated journey, but he is ready to face the challenge. After all, he wants to reach his aim of 1 000 staffers sooner rather than later.

The factory doesn’t feel like just another factory. Instead of seamstresses stacked classroom-style, they are seated in a U-shape.

“I encourage conversation among everyone. Who wants to go through a day feeling confined to a room and a seat where you must do your job in silence and stare at the back of someone’s head?”

Bagg’s relationship with his employees is great: they all smile while working and greet visitors warmly. Bagg also welcomes trade union visits with open arms, which is unusual in a country where employers and labour are more often than not, at odds with one another.

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